Shakugan no Shana (Shakugan no Shana: Season I)

The world has become a slaughtering ground for the Crimson Denizens, mysterious beings from a parallel universe who thrive on the life energy of humans. These merciless murderers only leave behind scant remainders of souls called "Torches," which are mere residues that will eventually be destroyed, along with the very fact of the victims' existence from the minds of the living. In an ambitious endeavor to put an end to this invisible, hungry massacre, warriors called Flame Hazes relentlessly fight these monsters.

One fateful day, Yuuji Sakai ceases to be a regular high schooler—he becomes trapped in a crevice of time and is suddenly attacked by a Denizen. Coming to his rescue just in the nick of time is a nameless hunter who seems no different from an ordinary young girl except for her blazing eyes and burning crimson hair. However, before Yuuji can learn anything more about his situation, he discovers that he has already been reduced to a Torch—merely a scrap of memory waiting to be extinguished.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

Shakugan no Shana is licensed in North America by Funimation after Geneon withdrew from the American market, and made its first North American television debut in September of 2012 on the Funimation Channel.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Shakugan no Shana
Spin-off:	Shakugan no Shana-tan
Side story:	Shakugan no Shana: Koi to Onsen no Kougai Gakushuu!, Shakugan no Shana: Friagne & Marianne no Naze Nani Shana! Nandemo Shitsumonbako!, Shakugan no Shana: Friagne & Marianne no Naze Nani Shana! Nandemo Shitsumonbako! Specials
Summary:	Shakugan no Shana Movie
Sequel:	Shakugan no Shana II (Second)
Character:	Dengeki Bunko 2007 Movie Festival Special

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Shana

Main

Kugimiya, Rie
Japanese

Sakai, Yuuji

Main

Hino, Satoshi
Japanese

Yoshida, Kazumi

Main

Kawasumi, Ayako
Japanese

Carmel, Wilhelmina

Supporting

Itou, Shizuka
Japanese

Hecate

Supporting

Noto, Mamiko
Japanese

Daw, Margery

Supporting

Nabatame, Hitomi
Japanese

Nbh'w, Khamsin

Supporting

Minagawa, Junko
Japanese

Alastor

Supporting

Ebara, Masashi
Japanese

Marchosias

Supporting

Iwata, Mitsuo
Japanese

Dantalion

Supporting

Tobita, Nobuo
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Nakayama, Nobuhiro

Producer

Kawase, Kouhei

Producer

Matsukura, Yuuji

Producer

Edit

Opening Theme

	1: "Hishoku no Sora (緋色の空)" by Mami Kawada (eps 1-16)
	2: "being" by Kotoko (eps 17-24)

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Yoake Umare Kuru Shoujo (夜明け生まれ来る少女)" by Yoko Takahashi (eps 1-14)
	2: "Aka no Seijaku (紅の静寂)" by Yoko Ishida (eps 15-23)
	3: "Hishoku no Sora (緋色の空)" by Mami Kawada (eps 24)

More reviews

Reviews

Sep 25, 2008

KaminaKai

Recommended

"You are not a human. You are an object."

If you were told the above, what would your reaction be? Sakai Yuji, the male protagonist of Shakugan no Shana, was thrown precisely into this chaotic situation one day while walking home from school. At the same time, viewers were introduced to the main theme of the anime. What if no one will ever remember your existence in this world. Being dead is one thing, but if everything about you will be erased from this world when you die (that includes people's memory of you), the thought alone could be terrifying to many.

While at first glance Shakugan ... no Shana may seem like just another anime with the protagonist being thrown into a world he never thought existed. It really make itself standout from the rest if for no other reason than the spectacular introduction to the theme of the story. The story develop itself rather slowly midway through the series as the viewers were taken back in time for some background learning that lead us to understand certain characters better (more on that in the character section). Overall there was no rush to the story as events unfold themselves in a very elegant and comprehensive manner.

It should, however, be noted that since this is just an introductory season to the Shana saga (there is a season 2 to Shakugan no Shana and there will most likely be more in the future), not a lot of questions were answered ... but many were raised and leave people in confusion at the end.

Though it can't be considered a masterpiece in animation, it is in fact still pretty top notch, especially the battle effects (flames for example, were animated in great detail and looked very awesome). If there's anything to complain about, it would be the over-sized eyes on most characters. But once that's accepted, everything else about the animation should not hurt your eyes.

While the OP were very catchy, I didn't quite like the ED much (personal taste). Sound tracks were great as they match well with the intended scenes, some can even help drive your emotion a bit. In addition, the seiyu are quite famous:
Shana voiced by Rie Kugimiya whose famous for her role in Full Metal Alchemist as Alphonse Elric, Nena Trinity in Gundam 00, and Louise Françoise in Zero no Tsukaima. Kazumi Yoshida voiced by Ayako Kawasumi who voiced in Fate/stay night as Saber, Kanokon as Chizuru Minamoto, and Otoha Sakurano in Sky Girls.
Shakugan no Shana also stars Hitomi Nabatame, Shizuka Itou, Mamiko Noto, and many many more talented voice actors/actresses.

Characters are what make this anime shine like a star. Due to the "non-rushing" nature of the show, each character (even the supporting casts) present their own background history and overtime we get to know their personality more and their "behind thoughts". This result in a very real and believable group of fantastically designed characters (both in terms of the "realism" and the "looks"). Definitely not something you see often in anime these days. The drawback is that some viewers may find it boring or made the stalled the story development.

While not quite a masterpiece level anime, Shakugan no Shana is still a show that is very successful in every single aspect. Personally, this show started out quite a bit like Busou Renkin and Bleach (while others say it is similar to Fate/stay night), but it ultimately delivered a much stronger impression on me than the ones mentioned.

Open

Gift

Jul 15, 2009

Xenith

Recommended

Okay, for my first ever review, I thought I'd review one of my all time favourites, Shakugan no Shana.

Before I start, let me say that this anime is not everyone's cup of tea. Some people love it, some hate it and some are in between. As for me, I love it to bits so if my review seems a bit biased, I apologise right off the bat.

First off, the storyline, I'm sure there are a few anime out there featuring parallel worlds or dimensions but I really enjoyed the way it's portrayed in this anime. The main reason for this being that, with such a ... grim and mature-ish beginning to the anime that gave it such a depth to storyline, the anime does also get lighter by mixing it with some other elements as well and I enjoy these lighter moments as much as the more intense parts of the anime. And mind you, this anime does seem to make the world around the main protagonist, Yuji, to seem hopeless at the start but it grows to become more light-hearted while still maintaining its original premise.

The artwork is rather good in my honest opinion. The characters are reasonably well drawn, although they are of the large-eyed variety as seen in many anime, they are still pretty decent to look at. In my opinion, the artwork shines the most during the fight scenes. The fight scenes never seem to leave you disoriented since it is laid out in such a way that makes it simple and yet, an enjoyment to watch.

For the sound of the anime, I have found nothing I am particularly unhappy about when it comes to the overall sound of the anime. Basically, everything sounds alright, with no flaws or anything that I have found. The voice acting was also pretty decent, and I know some people would beg to differ right here but I liked the way that Rie Kugimiya voiced Shana to be very child-like to mirror Shana's original age and her true child-like self. I did also really enjoy the opening and ending themes of the series. The animations during these are pretty decent as well.

Now for my favourite part, the characters. The characters really do grow on you in this anime. They also really do have some growth, even the less important ones do have some development to a certain degree. The most of development however must happen to the main characters and this series does not disappoint. First off, the main male protagonist, Yuji Sakai, there is a good deal of development especially at the early stages of the series when he is thrust headlong into a reality that seems so hopeless for him, and yet, he grows to understand and accept his situation. Second, there's Shana, the main female protagonist. Being a tsundere(wiki it if you're wondering what this means) character, she does have a lot of development as a character in the story throughout the series as she grows less cold toward Yuji, as she originally viewed him as little more than an object, and instead begins to grow more fond of him and these feelings really confuse her as she still has to maintain her duty as a Flame Haze.

Now for the enjoyment factor, I really did enjoy it. Especially in the later parts of the anime, the plot and the characters did leave me feeling more and more attached to the anime. Most of all, I enjoyed watching the development of Yuji and Shana's relationship together since it's not your typical boy likes girl, girl likes boy drama, it's a lot more complicated than it appears.

Overall, this is a great anime to watch with characters that begin to grow on you after a while. I definitely would recommend watching it. And it's also a must watch for any tsundere fan out there as well.

Open

Gift

May 26, 2008

Bluesnow

Mixed Feelings

Shakugan no shana... An anime with alot of potential that overall felt like alot of regurgitated shounen/romance anime was a bit of a let down. The predictable uninspired story line, repetitiveness, cheesy humor, and mediocre character development left alot to be desired and is far from a masterpiece that is popularity would make you believe it is.

Story line:
The initial introduction of the story really got my hopes up; basically about a normal boy who gets pulled into a bizarre battle only to find after words he no longer really exists, and that his entire being will slowly fade away and be forgotten by ... all of his loved ones. While discovering mysterious powers of his own he is emersed into into the world of magic and battles along with the cute but stubborn Red haired girl Shana who fights off those that threaten humanity.

Despite having an interesting few episodes the plot it stale. It moves very slowly and is predictable for the most part. The anime could have easily been done in half the episodes they took. The battles slowly become tedious along with the story. Also the cheesy romance that develops made it almost unbearable to watch after a certain point. If I were to describe the enjoyment of the story line most of the middle episodes drop down to a 4-5 nearly killing the series...

Art:
It was... acceptable. As far as most main stream shows go the art was OK... but it was overall mediocre. It also feels very deceiving that the advertisements and Opening theme for the series has such beautiful animation because its really not that great overall. Some of the battle scenes were well done though.
Character animation wise the most attention is given to Shana; and they do a very good job with her. The rest of the characters on the other hand are uncreative and boring. The main character specifically lacks any real attracting traits that would set him apart from a side character...

Sound:
Opening and ending songs are pretty good, I especially enjoyed the first ending theme Yowake Umare Kuru Shoujo. The music in show overall was acceptable, but nothing really stands out about it.

Character:
The two main characters... try imagining Saber and Shirou from fate/stay night as middle schoolers and that should give you an idea; Although Shana is much more vocally stubborn that Saber ever was.
Shana is the predictable Tsundere character~ The stubborn easily ticked, but deep down shy emotional girl. Her character development is interesting since she doesn't really understand basic human interaction very well...
Yuji also is the predictable week but good hearted normal kid, who grows up to be more dependable courageous guy.
Perhaps what killed the character development was when they attempted to throw in romance... its just didn't work for this plot because of their age... and it split what the story really should have focused on.
There are actually alot of other characters in the story... but their development is mediocre or nonexistent...

Enjoyment/Overall
I don't really have much else to say about this series other than It was actually painful to put myself through the torture of watching this entire series; and I think anime fans that are looking for something deep, a moving story line, and/or epic battles will be very disappointed unless they have very low standards.

The reason its gets overall higher scores is because it was made for a large viewing audience~ incorporating humor, action, Romance, magical/fantasy and slice of life. They say the Jack of all trades is master of none, and this anime proves this point.

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Complete Anime Adaptations (part 6)

by Yuriko_Sakai

50 Entries · 22 Restacks

Deutsche Synchros / German Dubs

by ateks

42 Entries · 4 Restacks

Light Novel adaptation

by bowljunk

50 Entries · 16 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for July

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for July Week 1: July 7 - 13 Anime Releases Cop Craft Complete Collection Blu-ray Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru? (H...read more

Jul 7, 2020 3:39 PM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (0 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for March

North American Anime & Manga releases for March 2014. February 25th - March 3rd Included in February's release thread. Week 1: March 4th - 10th Anime Releas...read more

Mar 1, 2014 6:19 AM by Snow | Discuss (19 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Is Shakugan no Shana worth watching? Schwag - Apr 18, 2012	33 replies	by JizzyHitler »» Oct 26, 2022 6:48 PM
Did Yuji Got MindFcuk By Hecate in EP23? Hentai44 - Sep 29, 2017	2 replies	by RjtheGreat14 »» Oct 26, 2022 5:25 PM
Poll: Do you like Shakugan no Shana? SpinStudios - Apr 29, 2022	17 replies	by RjtheGreat14 »» Oct 26, 2022 5:11 PM
Poll: Shakugan no Shana Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Ranivus - Jun 24, 2008	59 replies	by LeenPhoenixRae »» Sep 22, 2022 11:21 PM
Ngl I'd say this is as good as Bleach DressrosaCR7 - Jul 24, 2021	27 replies	by zahermit »» Mar 12, 2022 11:18 AM

Recent Featured Articles

Top 19 Tsundere Characters in Anime: What is a Tsundere?

Your harem or reverse harem anime isn't worth the time of day if it doesn't have a tsundere in it. But what is a tsundere, where did the term originate, and why are they everywhere? Read on to find out!

by 5camp

1,471,369 views

Collection Anime Terms Anime Archetypes Character Analysis Cute Girls Cute Guys Moe

Top 15 Action Romance Anime

We all get in the mood for some fun, excitement and a good love story. And we all love to watch anime with our significant others...so that we can witness what our favorite characters are doing with their significant others. It's time to check out some top-notch action romance anime!

by MisterD98

2,746,579 views

Recommendation Collection Action Cute Girls Cute Guys Funny Heart-warming Horror Love Supernatural

Shakugan no Shana

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Shana

Sakai, Yuuji

Yoshida, Kazumi

Carmel, Wilhelmina

Hecate

Daw, Margery

Nbh'w, Khamsin

Alastor

Marchosias

Dantalion

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Shakugan no Shana

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-